Thawed Hearts

Chapter 9

In the days since what Midoriya would call "the great breakdown of 2019", he found himself hanging around Todoroki more and more. It was a bit odd getting back into the swing of having a friend again, but it still felt good to be in company of one. Also, Todoroki didn't tell anyone about what went down that night at the coffee shop so it was nice being around someone he knows is actually trustable. But lately Izuku found himself wondering about who exactly Todoroki is; besides he knew little to nothing about Todoroki's personal life. No matter how curious he was however, Midoriya felt like he didn't really have the right to ask. Just because his personal life he put all in the open, that didn't mean Todoroki had to mention anything about his. A part of him desired to know, but only if the other felt comfortable.

It was odd having such a close friend. Even with Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, and Asui he didn't take the time to get super close, when it came to relationships a wall was kept up. Not even the hardest sledge hammer would be able to knock it down. It was closed off so that his heart would be protected if they were to ever leave, because relationships always ended with him being alone. But somehow Todoroki knocked down that barrier. Midoriya wondered if this, somehow, could lead to something more.

All the while, the comfort was building up between the two and Izuku was finally comfortable enough to sit down and show Todoroki his work. He received tons of compliments from his friend; that brought a sense of validation Midoriya never knew that he needed. Todoroki also had some valuable insight to take into consideration. Not that general conversations with the other was boring, but talking about comics was so much different. The passion that Todoroki has for comics is remarkable. It was similar to if you got Midoriya talking about All Might's comics. It's nice to see the light in his blue and grey eyes, it's something that had never been seen before.

All these events led up to today, as Midoriya worked on his first draft of The Hero Within. All Might had been focused on his own stuff for a while, so I was reassuring that he didn't have to show off anything – at least not yet. It's not that he didn't trust his mentor, a part of him was still embarrassed over what he had. For now, everything about this would be him and Todoroki's secret.

"Hey All Might, can I borrow your intern for a while?" The voice made both Midoriya and All Might jump, before they realized that Todoroki was right outside the open door, popping his head in. "I have some errands to run and I could use some extra hands. Should be like, an hour and a half? If he wants to of course."

"Of course I would like to come!" Izuku responded a bit too eagerly, glancing back at All Might. "If... If you don't mind, of course."

All Might raised his eyebrows but shrugged nodding his head. "Sure Todoroki. My boy, you don't have to come back here after ok? I'll see you back at the apartment."

Izuku nodded gathering his materials and waving goodbye, before scurrying out to leave with Todoroki. Though he was glad to get out of the office, it made him curious as to why Todoroki would have grabbed him of all people to go around with. It seemed rude to ask, but surely the other must have more friends and people he could go out with... right?

"Are you hungry? Do you want to go somewhere to eat?"

"No, I'm okay." Midoriya started, but at that moment his stomach betrayed him, growling quite loudly making the other chuckle. "I mean... yeah, I am. But I don't have any money or anything."

"Hey, you came with me, least I could do is treat you to some food." He responded, before going off about some place that has some good Zaru Soba. Izuku quickly figured out that was his favorite food. There was one more thing he knew about Todoroki – his love for zaru soba, his apartment alone, his cat named Ember, and his dislike for people. It was like there were layers of Todoroki, ones you have to peel back to really get to the inside. Midoriya hoped he could get there eventually. Todoroki mad him feel vulnerable; as uncomfortable as that may be for Midoriya, he hoped that it could help his friend become more comfortable around him as well.